Marvel Director Behind One of the MCU’s Most Hated Films Now Bringing Judge Dredd Back to Theaters

Taika Waititi, the filmmaker behind Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, is set to direct a new Judge Dredd movie. The Hollywood Reporter shared the news, saying that the project is one of the hottest in Hollywood right now, with major studios eager to pick it up.

Waititi won’t be working alone. Drew Pearce, known for writing action films like The Fall Guy and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, is attached to write the script. According to insiders, both Waititi and Pearce grew up as fans of the Judge Dredd comics and have wanted to work together for years. Now they finally have the chance.

The movie is being produced by the team that holds the rights to Dredd, including Chris Kingsley, Jason Kingsley, and Ben Smith from Rebellion Developments. Other producers involved are Roy Lee from Vertigo Entertainment, Jeremy Platt, Natalie Viscuso, and Pearce himself.

The Judge Dredd character was created in the late 1970s by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the British comic magazine 2000 AD. Dredd is a futuristic police officer in Mega-City One, where officers are given the power to act as judge, jury, and executioner.

The comics were originally meant to be a satire, showing a world where the justice system had gone too far. Over the years, Dredd became very popular in the UK and beyond. According to reports, over 100 million Judge Dredd comics and graphic novels have been sold.

Hollywood has tried to bring Dredd to life twice before. The 1995 movie starred Sylvester Stallone but was not well-received. A second movie, simply titled Dredd, came out in 2012 with Karl Urban in the lead role and a script by Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later and director of Civil War. That version was better received, but it didn’t lead to a sequel.

The new movie’s story is being kept secret for now, but sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the film will stick closer to the original comics than previous versions. The movie is expected to mix world-building with the dark humor the comics are known for. It’s also planned as a fun sci-fi blockbuster that still reflects modern society.

The team hopes this movie could lead to a larger Dredd universe, possibly expanding into other movies and TV shows in the future.

While fans wait for more details, what’s clear is that Marvel director Taika Waititi is ready to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen.

The news was first reported by THR.

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